MALLARD BAY DRILLING

Mallard Drilling Announces Alliance with Texaco

Parker Drilling Company's Mallard Drilling subsidiary annouced it has entered into an alliance agreement for all of Texaco's domestic inland water drilling and workover requirements. Texaco is the largest water bottom leaseholder in South Louisiana's inland water bays and estuaries. Mallard is a diversified water drilling/workover contractor, based in New Iberia, La. The competitive bid award is for a term of one year with option, and commenced December 27,1998. The alliance will initially use two Mallard drilling barges, each for a planned one-year program. Additional drilling units will be introduced as required. Mallard barges will also support Texaco's ongoing workover and completion program.

Ship's Fire Drill Sparks Massive Search

A fire drill by a ship triggered a massive search operation off the Philippine coast near Subic port last week to locate what was believed to be a burning vessel with more than 200 passengers on board, officials said. Several rescue vessels, helicopters and planes were dispatched after an official at Subic heard a distress message and thought there was a genuine emergency, said Coast Guard Operations chief Commander Efren Sabas.

Super Barge Touted For Strengths, Depths

Employed in the oil and gas industry for 60 years, simple and sturdy swamp and posted drilling barges have been a preferred method to drill in shallow water. This basic design has made it possible for the barge to drill in water depths from six through 24 ft., as well as the ability to be towed and to travel the Intercoastal waterway, lakes, bays and bayous. With the average drilling depth in the northern Gulf of Mexico ranging between 12,000 and 18,000 ft

Crowley Moves ExxonMobil Concrete Island Drilling

Crowley Marine Services' Energy and Marine Services business unit has successfully moved the 312-ft. (9.5-m) square concrete island drilling structure Orlan from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Sovietskaya Gavan in the Russian Far East for Sakhalin I Project operator, Exxon Neftegas Limited (ENL), a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation. The Orlan (ex Glomar Beaufort Sea I) Concrete Island Drilling System (CIDS) was purchased from Global Marine Drilling Company and will be used for oil production as

MOL Drill Tests Disaster Response

MOL Table Top Drill Tests Response to Possible Product Tanker Collision, Fire in Tokyo Bay.   Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL, President: Koichi Muto) announced the completion of a table top drill based on a scenario in which the MOL Group-managed petroleum product tanker Raysut collided with another merchant vessel in Tokyo Bay, resulting in explosions and a fire on board. The three-hour drill, from 1pm (local time) to 4pm on Friday, 14 October

MOL Completes Containership Collision Drills

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) announced the completion of a tabletop drill done in cooperation with the fifth Regional Coast Guard Headquarters. The scenario entailed a containership operated by MOL Liner Division (Hong Kong) and managed by an MOL Group ship management company (Hong Kong) colliding with a coastal freighter in Osaka Bay, Japan. The drill was held on Thursday, May 16, with aim to further strengthening MOL's emergency response structure

Offshore News

R&B Falcon Confirms U.S. Gulf Development Plans Reading & Bates Development Co. (DEVCO), a wholly owned subsidiary of R&B Falcon Corporation, announced its Boomvang Project in deepwater offshore Texas is proceeding rapidly. DEVCO concurs with previously announced reserve estimates of 70-100 million boe in several oil reservoirs extending across portions of East Breaks Blocks 642, 643, 688 and 732. Platform, production facilities and pipeline contracts are being evaluated

Total to Begin Offshore Exploration in Bay of Bengal

According to a recent Reuters report, European energy major Total SA (TOTF.PA) will begin exploring for hydrocarbons in the Bay of Bengal in November, a senior energy official recently stated. In March this year, Total acquired the major stakes of UK-based Tullow Oil PLC (TLW.L) in offshore blocks 17 and 18 and received energy ministry approval to extend the exploration period stated in the production sharing contract by three years until May 5, 2009.

MAN B&W Sets Sales Records With Four-Stroke Engines

MAN B&W Diesel and their licensees have received the 500th order for the 32/40 series of its four-stroke engine - bringing the total output of the engine sold to 2.6 million hp - 80 percent of which is used for ships' propulsion. Launched in September 1992, the 32/40 series was initially intended for use as an in-line engine with an output between 2,290 and 4,320 kW. Subsequently two years later, the company developed the Vee-version of the engine with an output between 5,760 and 8

Centrica Energy Delivers First Production

Gas production has begun from the Rhyl gas field in Morecambe Bay, helping to secure the future of 400 North West jobs and boost energy security for the U.K. The Rhyl field, located 39km off the coast of Barrow, was first discovered in 2009 and is wholly owned and operated by Centrica Energy. Gas from Rhyl will be produced through Centrica Energy’s existing North Morecambe platform, then come onshore to its Barrow terminal complex by pipeline for processing.